2021
Authors
Dias, D; Ferraz Caetano, J; Paiva, J;
Publication
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
Abstract
Designing a science activity for middle school children is a challenging task, especially if it aims to be interdisciplinary. One may ask if it is possible to craft a positive learning experience from different areas such as history of science, chemistry, or ethics. In this paper, we argue it can be achieved if we use the right tools to engage a young audience. A combination of gamification, hands-on activities, and storytelling techniques was successfully used, providing a unique form to approach chemistry and ethics subjects in an "edutainment" format. The result is a game that challenges participants to solve a crime, while addressing chemistry topics to gather pieces of evidence and facing science-related ethical conundrums. In our pilot study, participants evaluated this activity positively, identifying the innovation and entertaining features as the most relevant in their gaming experience.
2021
Authors
Paulos, JP; Fidalgo, JN; Gama, J;
Publication
2021 IEEE MADRID POWERTECH
Abstract
The present work aims to compare several load disaggregation methods. While the supervised alternative was found to be the most competent, the semi-supervised is proved to be close in terms of potential, while the unsupervised alternative seems insufficient. By the same token, the tests with long-lasting data prove beneficial to confirm the long-term performance since no significant loss of performance is noticed with the scalar of the time-horizon. Finally, the patchwork of new parametrization and methodology fine-tuning also proves interesting for improving global performance in several methods.
2021
Authors
Rodrigues, L; Riker, A; Ribeiro, M; Both, C; Sousa, F; Moreira, W; Cardoso, K; Oliveira, A;
Publication
SENSORS
Abstract
This article presents an approach to autonomous flight planning of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)-Drones as data collectors to the Internet of Things (IoT). We have proposed a model for only one aircraft, as well as for multiple ones. A clustering technique that extends the scope of the number of IoT devices (e.g., sensors) visited by UAVs is also addressed. The flight plan generated from the model focuses on preventing breakdowns due to a lack of battery charge to maximize the number of nodes visited. In addition to the drone autonomous flight planning, a data storage limitation aspect is also considered. We have presented the energy consumption of drones based on the aerodynamic characteristics of the type of aircraft. Simulations show the algorithm's behavior in generating routes, and the model is evaluated using a reliability metric.
2021
Authors
Andrade, C; Teixeira, LF; Vasconcelos, MJM; Rosado, L;
Publication
JOURNAL OF IMAGING
Abstract
Dermoscopic images allow the detailed examination of subsurface characteristics of the skin, which led to creating several substantial databases of diverse skin lesions. However, the dermoscope is not an easily accessible tool in some regions. A less expensive alternative could be acquiring medium resolution clinical macroscopic images of skin lesions. However, the limited volume of macroscopic images available, especially mobile-acquired, hinders developing a clinical mobile-based deep learning approach. In this work, we present a technique to efficiently utilize the sizable number of dermoscopic images to improve the segmentation capacity of macroscopic skin lesion images. A Cycle-Consistent Adversarial Network is used to translate the image between the two distinct domains created by the different image acquisition devices. A visual inspection was performed on several databases for qualitative evaluation of the results, based on the disappearance and appearance of intrinsic dermoscopic and macroscopic features. Moreover, the Frechet Inception Distance was used as a quantitative metric. The quantitative segmentation results are demonstrated on the available macroscopic segmentation databases, SMARTSKINS and Dermofit Image Library, yielding test set thresholded Jaccard Index of 85.13% and 74.30%. These results establish a new state-of-the-art performance in the SMARTSKINS database.
2021
Authors
Paulos, JP; Fidalgo, JN; Saraiva, JT; Barbosa, N;
Publication
2021 IEEE MADRID POWERTECH
Abstract
In Europe, clean distributed generation, DG, is perceived as a crucial instrument to build the path towards carbon emission neutrality. DG already reached a large share in the generation mix of several countries and the reduction of technical losses is one of its most mentioned advantages. In this scope, this paper discusses the weaknesses of this postulation using real networks. The adopted methodology involves the power flow simulation of a collection of real networks, using 15 min real measurements of loads and generations for a whole year. The clustering of similar cases allows identifying the situations that cause higher losses. A complementary objective of this research was to define an approach to mitigate this problem in terms of identifying the branches that, if reinforced, most contribute to losses reduction. The results obtained confirm the rationality of the proposed methodology.
2021
Authors
Osorio, GJ; Lotfi, M; Gough, M; Javadi, M; Espassandim, HMD; Shafie khah, M; Catalao, JPS;
Publication
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
Abstract
Electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as a crucial tool to reduce the polluting emissions caused by the transport and power systems (PS) sector and the associated shift to a cleaner and more sustainable energy sector. The com-bination of EVs and solar photovoltaics (PV) in PS, specifically through the aggregation of EVs in parking lots (PLs), may improve the reliability and flexibility of the PS, assisting the power network in critical moments. This work proposes a novel aggregator agent in the energy system which is an EV charging station with an installed PV system. In this work, an optimal operation strategy for the solar-powered EV PL (EVSPL) operation is pre-sented. The model optimizes the EVSPL's participation in various energy and ancillary services markets, including the effects of capacity payments. The results show that the EVSPL leads to higher profits. The EVSPL's participation in ancillary services is highly influenced by the prices. The results of this work show that this novel agent can actively participate in the energy system in an economically viable manner while respecting the technical constraints of the network and providing important ancillary services to the system operator.
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